by  Way  o{  Repl/ 

(\rt  Anonymous  ^enbfcler 
jSr  Ph\UnthropisT7 


PhUadelpfiia.  i3+-w» 


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A  FEW  REMARKS 

B  Y    W  AY    OF    REPLY 

TO  AN 

ANONYMOUS  SCRIBBLER, 

CALLING    HIMSELF 

A  PHILANTHKOPIST, 

DISABUSING 

THE  CHURCH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST 

OF 

LATTER  DAY  SAINTS 

OF  THE  SLANDERS  AND  FALSEHOODS  WHICEI  HE  HAS 
ATTEMPTED  TO  FASTEN  UPON  IT. 


BY    S.    BENNETT. 


PHILADELPHL4  I 
BROWN,  BICKING  &  GUILPERT,  PRINTERS,  NO.  56  NORTH  THIRD  ST. 

1840. 


F  s-as 

B  3f 


in  croft  Library 


REPLY 


PHILANTHROPIST. 

After  carefully  perusing  the  anonymous  production  of  an  assumed 
"  Philanthropist,"  I  am  not  in  the  least  surprised,  that  he  manifests 
much  care,  and  expresses  an  ardent  wish,  that  he  may  not  be  known. 

When  a  man  is  conscious  of  fabricating  a  lie,  of  wilfully  misrepre- 
senting in  order  to  deceive,  of  traducing  and  slandering  the  character  of 
men,  without  pretending  to  adduce  the  shadow  of  proof,  no  marvel  he 
desires  the  cloak  of  secresy  to  be  thrown  around  him,  no  wonder  if  he 
hate  the  light.  It  shall,  however,  be  my  business  to  drag  the  lover  of 
darkness  from  his  hiding  place,  and  by  bringing  him  in  the  light  of 
truth,  disclose  his  refuge  of  lies. 

Who  has  not  discovered  the  fact,  that  the  messengers  of  the  most 
High,  have  in  every  age  of  the  world  received  from  the  mass  of  the 
human  family,  precisely  the  same  reception ;  "  if  they  have  called  the 
Master  of  the  House  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  them  of  his  house- 
hold." The  gectarian  professor  of  the  present  day,  w^ould  fain  argue 
himself  into  the  conviction,  that  he  has  discovered  a  plan  by  which  the 
Scriptures  are  falsified,  and  God  and  mammon  reconciled  ;  and  more- 
over, that  God's  plan  of  saving  men,  and  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself,  called  the  Gospel,  devised  in  the  councils  of  Heaven  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  is  not  exactly  perfect,  but  may  be  improved  on 
by  the  wisdom  of  men,  to  suit  the  tastes  of  any  particular  age.  But 
more  of  this  anon. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  dissect  the  tissue  of  falsehood,  folly,  and 
sophistry,  (if  it  be  not  too  puerile  to  deserve  the  name,)  denominated 
"  a  development  of  the  Mormon  doctrines." 

The  first  conclusion  at  which  the  writer  arrives,  is  a  fair  sample  of 
the  utter  contempt  the  author  cherishes  for  the  inductive  mode  of  de- 
monstration. After  stating  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  represents  the  In- 
dians as  descendants  of  the  House  of  Joseph,  he  says,  "  If  the  present 
Indians  are  descendants  of  the  half  tribe  of  Joseph,  they  have  tlie  best 
right  to  know  it,  but  this  knowledge  they  have  not ;  wherefore,  the  pre- 
sent  Indians  are  not  of  the  half  tribe  of  Joseph,"  the  force  of  reason  can 
no  further  go !  "  Again,  this  Book  of  Mormon  presupposes  among  the  In- 
dians, at  the  time  of  its  compilation  and  engraving,  a  knowledge  of  the 


<•  <• 


arts  and  sciences  in  order  to  sail  across  the  atlantic  ocean, — navigation, 
reading,  writing,  engraving,  goldbeating,  &c.,  but  the  present  race  of 
Indians  have  no  recollection  or  tradition  of  reading  or  writing  ever 
being  among  them  ;  wherefore,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  or  the  golden 
plates  was  not  made  and  engraved  by  the  Indians."  How  blindly  in- 
fatuated must  that  man  be,  and  how  willing  withal  to  believe  a  lie 
that  he  might  be  damned,  who  can  find  no  better  reason  for  rejecting 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  as  a  true  record,  than  those  above  stated.  But 
these  objections  exist  no  where  but  in  the  writer's  shallow  brain.  Any 
one  w^ho  has  the  slightest  acquaintance  with  American  antiquities,  or 
Indian  traditions,  will  find  abundant  evidence  to  establish  the  fact. 
(See  Priest's  American  Antiquities,  also  a  work  on  the  discovery  of 
America,  by  the  Northmen,  by  A.  Davis.) 

The  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  rests  exactly  upon  the 
same  foundation  that  the  communications  of  the  Almighty  to  the  hu- 
man family  ever  have  rested,  in  any  age  of  the  world  ;  viz.  the  testi- 
mony of  men,  whose  honesty  and  veracity  have  never  been  falsified, 
and  who  have  not  counted  their  lives  dear  unto  them,  but  were  ever 
ready  to  seal  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

The  next  objection  in  order,  is  the  personality  of  the  Deity.  **  They, 
the  Mormons,  maintain,  that  God  the  Father,  has  a  body  exactly  in 
chape  like  that  of  a  man."  Then  follows  a  specimen  of  miserable  ter- 
giversation worthy  of  an  idolitor,  which  I  now  brand  you  to  be,  (and 
shall  presently  show,)  here  it  is,  "  Now  I  cannot  positively  affirm,  that 
tlieir  God  is  any  particular  man,  e.  g.  Smith  or  Rigdon,  but  they  un- 
doubtedly give  us  reason  to  conjecture  from  their  descriptions,  that 
gome  human  apotheosis  is  intended."  I  have  no  hesitation  in  affirming 
niy  belief  in,  and  dependence  upon  the  God  of  the  Bible,  the  God  of 
Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  of  Moses,  and  the  Prophets,  and  I 
am  willing  to  take  the  testimony  of  these  men  of  God  who  have  seen 
him,  as  to  whether  he  has  an  existence,  in  other  words,  body  and  parts, 
for  I  take  it  a  thing  without  substance,  however  small  the  tenuity  may 
be  conceived  to  be,  has  not  even  a  fancied  existence.  And  I  shall  rely 
upon  the  declarations  of  the  inspired  writers,  in  preference  to  the  in- 
consistent absurdities  of  those  who  have  made  a  God  out  of  their  own 
brain,  and  then  fallen  down  and  worshipped  a  creature  of  their  imagi- 
nations, supposing  it  to  be  the  living  and  true  God.  Gen.  i.  26  &  27. 
"So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  image  of  God  created 
he  him,  male  and  female  created  he  them," — here  is  one  express  de- 
claration of  the  fact  that  God  has  a  tabernacle,  or  body,  else  how  could 
it  have  a  likeness,  the  fact  of  this  referring  to  the  physical  as  well  as 
moral  man,  is  abundantly  manifest  from  the  consideration,  that  the 
beasts  of  the  field,  fowls  of  the  air,  &c.,  bore  the  moral  image  of  the 
Creator,  and  the  peace,  order,  harmony,  and  love  of  the  Creator,  was 
reigning  there,  when  looking  complacently  upon  them,  he  pronounced 


them  very  good.  But  to  put  this  matter  heyond  controversy,  or  cavil, 
without  a  wilful  perversion  of  the  obvious  meaning  of  words,  I  shall 
quote  Heb.  i.  3,  "  Who  being  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the 
express  image  of  his  person^  and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of 
his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself  purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high."  That  the  Son  of  God  here 
spoken  of,  as  being  the  express  image  of  his  Father's  person,  was,  in  no 
remarkable  respect,  different  from  the  usual  conformation  of  a  man,  I 
presume  no  one  will  deny ;  the  inference  is  irresistible,  that  the  image 
of  God  in  which  man  was  created,  was  physical  as  well  as  moral.  All 
the  Scriptural  testimony  you  have  adduced  to  show  that  the  Apostle 
Paul  speaks  of  a  change,  will  not  conflict,  in  the  smallest  degree,  with 
the  declarations  above  quoted.  Paul  says,  Romans,  xii.  2,  that  this 
change  is  the  renewal  of  the  mind  ;  and  according  to  your  own  quo- 
tation, Colos.  iii.  9.  he  calls  it  a  renewal  in  knowledge. 

The  Latter  Day  Saints,  not  only  contend  that  God  is  a  Spirit,  but 
believe  and  teach,  that  whosoever  has  not  the  Spirit  of  God,  is  none  of 
his;  and  they  affirm  that  this  Spirit  in  possession,  constitutes  the 
church  or  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  the  effects  of  this  are  always 
the  same  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  to  wit ;  the  communication  of  light, 
power,  intelligence  of  things  past,  present,  and  to  come,  according  to 
the  sayings  of  Jesus,  and  the  Apostles.  The  other  passages  quoted, 
such  as  **no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time,"  whom  no  man  hath  or 
can  see. 

The  phrase  translated  "  no  man,"  in  the  foregoing  passages,  might 
with  great  propriety  be  translated  "  no  sinner,"  no  unrenewed  man ; 
that  this  is  the  sense  intended  by  the  inspired  writer,  is  sufficiently 
obvious  from  the  following  considerations ;  "  no  man  hath  seen  God 
at  any  time,  but  the  only  begotten  Son  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  he  hath  declared  him."  So  that,  "  He  that  hath  seen  me,  hatb 
seen  the  Father."  On  the  supposition  that  the  present  translation  is 
correct,  Jesus  uttered  incomprehensible  nonsense ;  render  the  phrase 
no  sinner,  and  it  is  consistent  with  itself,  and  with  the  whole  tenor  of 
Revelation.  In  1  Timothy,  vi.  16,  Paul,  speaking  of  Jesus  Christ, 
says,  "  wliom  no  man  hath  seen  or  can  see,"  admit  that  this  is  true, 
and  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  even  a  cunningly  devised  fable, 
but  a  palpable  deception  ;  and  "  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  our  preach- 
ing  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain,"  it  is  then  certainly  demonstrative, 
that  the  phrase  no  man,  has  reference  to  the  ungodly,  from  the  decla- 
ration of  Paul,  "  that  to  those  who  keep  his  commandments,  in  his 
times  he  shall  show^  "  Who  only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  light 
which  no  man  can  approach  unto,  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  or  can 
see.'* 

"  What  then,  it  may  be  asked,  is  meant  by  those  Scriptures  wherein 
he  is  represented  as  appearing  to  certain  individuals  on  several  occa- 
1* 


sions?  I  answer,  it  was  the  similitude  of  Jehovah  which  appeared,  and 
not  the  Lord  himself  as  he  is,  as  is  most  satisfactorily  showed  in  the 
12th  Chap,  of  Numbers,  verse  8th,  and  what  precedes  it."  So  then, 
after  all  your  laboured  attempt,  to  show  that  Jehovah  is  the  methodist 
God,  without  body  or  parts,  to  cap  the  climax  of  your  reasoning,  and 
destroy  the  force  of  the  testimony  of  all  the  inspired  men,  who  saw  the 
Lord,  you  say,  it  was  the  similitude — of  a  thing  without  body  or  parts 
I  suppose  ?  the  absurdity  of  your  argument,  if  such  it  can  be  called,  is 
too  glaring  to  need  comment.  To  such  fooleries  are  men  driven,  who 
have  invented  a  God  of  their  own,  or  appropriate  one  already  manu- 
factured to  their  hands,  and  vainly  flatter  themselves  meanwhile,  that 
their  God  is  the  same,  at  whose  right  hand  Stephen  saw  Jesus  stand- 
ing. I  take  you  to  be  as  thorough  paced  an  idolator,  as  ever  bowed 
down  to  a  stock  or  a  stone. 

"  They  also  affirm  that  Jesus  Christ  was  never  acknowledged  to  be 
the  Son  of  God,  till  after  his  baptism,"  very  true,  what  objection  can 
you  urge  to  that,  let  us  see;  "  out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  my  Son." 
"That  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee,  shall  be  called  the 
Son  of  God."  The  first  declaration  made  hundreds  of  years  before  the 
Saviour  was  born,  could  be  no  acknowledgment  of  his  person.  The 
second,  merely  says,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God.  He  never  was 
acknowledged  by  the  Father,  till  after  his  baptism. 

"To  say  that  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of  the  Spirit,  is  to  make  him  a 
depraved  being  like  ourselves."  How  such  a  conclusion  follows,  I 
confess  I  cannot  conceive,  and  should  be  the  last  to  admit  such  a  con- 
sequence ;  by  the  same  rule,  because  he  was  born  of  the  water,  he  was 
a  depraved  being ;  perhaps,  you  will  deny  his  baptism  next,  to  escape 
the  dilemma,  it  would  not  astonish  me  in  you. 

Your  next  objection,  is  to  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures, 
this  was  natural ;  a  man  who  first  disbelieved  them,  would  of  course 
seek  to  spiritualize  and  explain  away  their  obvious  sense.  In  the 
vision  of  Ezekiel,  37th  Chap,  of  the  valley  of  bones,  the  Lord  gives 
his  own  interpretation,  yet  you  ask  from  men  whom  you  are  pleased 
to  call  Deists,  to  point  it  out  more  particularly,  or  you  cannot  believe 
that  your  God  can  bring  men  to  life,  who  have  been  dead  thousands  of 
years,  and  their  bones  decomposed !  this  comes  of  having  a  God 
"  without  body  or  parts,"  who  can  neither  see,  hear,  stretch  forth  his 
hand,  or  utter  his  voice ;  I  should  very  much  distrust  the  ability  of 
your  God,  and  I  marvel  not  that  your  faith  staggers  when  any  thing 
is  really  to  be  done. 

Your  infidel  thrust  is  next  made  at  the  doctrine,  that  when  God 
gives  a  command  he  requires  obedience,  and  that  he  does  not  demand 
more  at  the  hand  of  any  man  than  he  can  give.  "  This,  you  say,  is 
in  opposition  to  the  whole  genius  of  Revelation,"  but  for  the  best  of  all 
jreasons,  you  have  made  no  attempt  to  back  the  lie  with  the  word  of 


God.  The  next  misrepresentation  you  are  guilty  of,  is  that  we  incul- 
cate the  idea,  that  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  are 
superseded  by  direct  revelation ;  now  this  is  either  criminal  ignorance, 
or  designed  falsehood,  as  every  one  knows  who  has  attended  our  meet- 
ings, and  as  is  proven  by  yourself,  "  the  Mormons  tell  us  the  whole 
celestial  law  must  be  kept  in  order  to  obtain  the  Spirit."  Liars  ought 
to  have  good  memories. 

You  assert  the  ScripJ,ures  only  mention  two  covenants,  and  that  no 
covenant  is  yet  future^  "  For  this  is  the  covenant  that  I  will  make 
with  the  house  of  Israel  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  my 
laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in  their  hearts,  and  I  will  be  to 
them  a  God,  and  they  shall  be  to  me  a  people."  This  clearly  proves 
H  covenant  is  yet  to  be  established,  as  the  house  of  Israel  still  inherit 
the  curse  of  the  broken  covenant. 

We  do  not  affirm  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  lost  sooner,  or  ex- 
isted any  after,  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists,  pastors,  and  teachers, 
were  in  it ;  but  we  do  affirm,  that  these  are  constituent  parts  of  the 
Kingdom  organized  on  the  earth,  and  that  it  has  not,  and  cannot  exist 
without  them,  and  so  saith  the  Scripture ;  1  Cor.  xii.  28.  Ephe- 
sians,  iv.  11,  12.  This  doctrine  you  say,  is  in  direct  hostility  with 
the  Scriptures,  which  tell  us  "  that  every  man  is  enlightened  that 
cometh  into  the  world ;"  and  "  That  the  grace  of  God  which  bringeth 
salvation  hath  appeared  unto  all  men  ;"  and  "  that  the  Lord  is  no  re- 
specter of  persons;"  what  these  quotations  have  to  do  with  tlie  matter, 
I  am  at  a  loss  to  perceive. 

You  say  the  idea  of  the  disorganization  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  is 
at  war  with  these  passages,  and  with  the  experience  of  tens  of  thou- 
sands, but  you  have  not  condescended  to  tell  how.  Again,  you  deny 
that  Peter  told  the  truth,  when  he  says  that  the  Gospel  was  preached 
unto  them  that  are  dead,  that  they  might  be  judged  according  to  men 
in  the  flesh  ;  1  Peter,  iv.  6,  you  have  the  hardihood  and  effrontery  to 
say,  that  Peter  taught  an  extravagant,  anti-scriptural,  and  dangerously 
delusive  doctrine,  and  a  lie  into  the  bargain,  he  says,  they  were  dead, 
you  say  they  were  alive  in  the  flesh ;  the  issue  is  fairly  joined  between 
you,  see  ye  to  it.  You  assert,  we  "  cannot  now  have  Apostles  and 
Evangelists,  except  we  should  have  another  Saviour  personally  to  send 
them  !"  because,  forsooth,  an  Apostle  is  a  special  witness,  how  was 
Paul  constituted  an  Apostle  ?  I  suppose  you  will  not  credit  his  testi- 
mony, though  he  should  declare,  that  ^apostles,  prophets,  evangelists, 
&c.,  were  given  for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints,  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  and  by  consequence,  no  church  could  exist  without  them  i 
what  wonder  then,  that  men  carmot  counterfeit  the  Kingdom  of  God ; 
they  may  build  a  Methodist,  a  Presbyterian,  a  Baptist,  or  any  other 
order  of  things  they  choose  almost,  but  they  cannot  invest  it  with  a 


8 

single  peculiarity  belonging^  to  the  order  of  Heaven  ;  no  apostles,  no 
prophets,  no  gifts,  no  blessings,  no  administration  of  ordinances,  none 
to  administer  them  ! 

"  The  Mormon  religion,  is,  1st.  Faith;  2nd.  Repentance;  3d.  Im- 
mersion ;  4th.  Laying  on  of  hands,  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  5th.  Sacrament ;"  add  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment,  and  you  have  the  whole  of  the  first 
principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  as  taught  by  Jesus  and  the  Apos- 
ties.  As  you  have  been  following  a  cunningly  devised  fable,  having 
no  foundation  in  the  word  of  God,  it  was  not  to  be  reasonably  expect- 
ed, that  you  should  even  know  what  are  the  fundamental  principles  of 
the  Gospel,  as  taught  by  men,  sent  by  the  Son  of  God  to  teach  the 
nations  the  plaii  by  which  they  might  be  saved  in  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  Indeed,  so  completely  ignorant  of  the  oracles  of  God,  do  you 
prove  yourself,  that  you  charge  the  propagators  of  these  principles, 
with  promulgirig  a  "  religion  manufactured  by  instruments  of  the 
foulest  depravity."  In  doing  which,  as  I  shall  conclusively  show,  you 
have  done  nothing  more  nor  less,  than  charge  the  living  and  true  God, 
the  author  of  our  salvation,  with  the  "  foulest  depravity." 

We  will  in  the  first  place,  examine  the  commission  given  to  the 
Apostles,  by  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  as  it  is  recorded  by  Matthew, 
last  chap.  19  &.  20.  "Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;"  next,  as  recorded  by  Mark,  16  Chap.  15  v.  "  Go  ye  into  all 
the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be 
damned  ;"  and  also  Luke,  24  Chap.  46  &  47  v.  "  Thus  it  is  written, 
and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the 
third  day  ;  and  that  repentance,  and  remission  of  sins,  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

We  observe  here  the  principles  or  doctrines  which  the  Apostles  were 
commanded  to  teach,  now  let  us  see  whether  they  were  faithful  to  their 
trust.  Take  for  example,  the  first  Gospel  sermon  they  ever  preached 
afler  they  were  endowed  with  power  from  on  high;  Peter  stood  up 
and  reasoned  with  the  Jews,  showing  that  God  had  made  that  same 
Jesus  whom  they  had  crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ.  Now  when 
they  heard  this,  they  were  pricked  in  their  heart,  (that  is,  they  believed 
his  testimony,)  and  said  unto  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  Apostles,  Men 
and  Brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?  and  Peter  said  unto  them,  "  Reperit 
and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
We  would  naturally  infer,  that  men  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
who  spake  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance,  would  teach  any  thing 
but  principles  of  the  "  foulest  depravity."     Your  imputation  then,  is 


9 

found  directly  to  arraign  the  great  God  with  wickedness  and  folly ; 
a  position  that  without  speedy  penitence  must  inevitably  sink  you  to 
the  lowest  hell. 

"  The  faith  subsequent  to  repentance,  and  which  is  indispensable  to 
the  attainment  of  salvation,  they  have  no  idea  of." 

The  faith  which  the  Mormons  inculcate  and  practice,  is  a  rigid  ad- 
herence  to  all  the  commandments  of  God,  without  any  exception,  as 
the  only  infallible  proof  of  the  possession  of  that  faith,  which  works  by 
love,  and  purifies  the  heart.  "  Show  me  thy  faith  without  thy  works, 
and  I  will  show  thee  my  faith  by  my  works."  The  man  who  prates 
about  the  possession  of  faith,  (a  sainfs  faith,  not  that  which  James 
ascribes  to  devils,)  and  is  at  the  same  time  living  in  open  violation  of 
one  of  the  least  commandments  of  God,  no  matter  how  high  his  pre- 
tensions may  be,  is  according  to  John,  1  Epis.  2  Ch.  4  v.  "  a  liar,  and 
the  truth  is  not  in  him."  Let  it  never  be  forgotten,  that  He  who 
is  not  man,  that  he  should  lie,  or  the  Son  of  man,  that  he  should 
repent ;"  has  given  no  commandments  that  we  may  trample  under 
foot  and  disregard  with  impunity.  "  He  that  ofFendeth  in  one  point  ia 
guilty  of  all,"  James,  ii.  4.  It  seems  to  me,  that  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion, must  convince  every  lover  of  truth,  that  there  is  no  more  danger- 
ous and  pernicious  delusion,  palmed  upon  the  human  family,  than  the 
idea  that  in  the  commandments  of  God  there  are  some  that  we  peril 
our  souls  by  refusing  to  obey,  while  there  are  others  that  are  less  neces- 
sary  to  be  attended  to,  that  we  may  leave  undone,  without  being 
brought  under  condemnation.  That  some  are  essential,  others  non- 
essential ;  yet  this  doctrine  obtains  among  the  whole  seetarian  world. 
Can  any  thing  be  more  palpably  the  doctrine  of  anti-christ  ?  I  trow 
not. 

This,  in  fine,  is  the  very  essence  of  apostacy,  and  this  is  the  reason 
why  the  great  God  has  determined  to  make  the  earth  empty,  and  de- 
stroy the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  to  unite  priest  and  people  in  one 
commingled  whirlwind  of  devastation  and  death.  What,  sir,  have  you 
the  audacity  to  assert,  "  that  it  is  in  hostility  to  the  whole  genius  of 
Revelation,"  to  insist  that  God  requires  obedience  to  all  the  command- 
ments which  he  has  made  obligatory  upon  us.  In  the  true  spirit  of 
him  who  said,  *•  I  know  thee  that  thou  art  an  austere  man,  reaping 
where  thou  hast  not  sown,  and  gathering  where  thou  hast  not 
strewed ;"  you  hesitate  not  to  say  it  is  impossible,  which  is  in  effect 
saying,  that  God  requires  of  his  creatures  more  than  thpy. .can  give 
and  is  therefore  tyrannical  and  unjust.  Bancroit  Library 

The  next  specimen  you  exhibit  of  the  spirit  of  him  who  was  a  liar 
from  the  beginning,  is  as  follows :  "  But,  by  immersion,  they  take  upon 
them  the  authoritative  power  to  forgive  sins."  A  confutation  of  this 
notorious  falsehood,  and  which  you  must  have  known  to  be  such,  would 
be  superfluous  to  those  who  do  not  take  their  opinions  upon  trust.     J 


10 

shall  however  merely  say,  that,  as  we  profess  to  teach  the  whole  doc- 
trine  of  Christ,  without  diminution  or  addition,  among  the  first  princi- 
ples is,  "Baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins."  This  is  the  ordinance 
in  the  kingdom  of  God,  through  obedience  to  which,  the  promise  of 
forgiveness  of  sins  is  annexed :  in  other  words,  by  believing  in  the 
proclamation  of  the  Gospel,  repenting  of  our  sins,  and  being  baptised, 
calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  becomes 
efficacious  in  the  act  of  baptism,  and  doth  cleanse  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness. This  may  appear  to  your  superior  wisdom  a  very  foclish  scheme 
to  wash  away  sin :  but  this  is  the  plan  of  God ;  and  I,  sir,  glory  in  it, 
because  of  its  simplicity  and  efficacy.  Hear  what  is  said  on  the  sub- 
ject, by  one  whose  authority  you  dare  not  question :  "  Verily  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  except  a  man  be  born  of  water,  and  of  the  spirit,  he  can 
in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  ©f  God."  Do  you  expect  to  climb 
up  some  other  way  ?  Take  heed  lest  you  be  accounted  a  thief  and  a 
robber, 

"  But  they  profess  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  either  to  communicate, 
or  be  made  the  instruments  of  communicating  the  holy  ghost."  Very 
good.  Have  we  not  excellent  company  in  teaching  and  practice — 
Peter,  James,  John,  Barnabas  and  Paul,  and  a  host  of  others,  who 
were  willing  to  be  esteemed  "  instruments  of  the  foulest  depravity." 

"  Here  is  Mormon  religion — a  bodily  God ;  a  forgiven  regenerated 
Saviour.     Mormon  faith,  remission  of  sins,  and  spirit," 

"A  bodily  God."  "We  know  whom  we  worship;  ye  know  not 
whom  you  ^erve,  or  what  ye  worship."  You,  I  am  informed,  belong 
to  that  grand  division  of  the  idolatrous  army  of  the  last  days,  called 
methodists,  who  pay  their  orisons  to  the  unknown  God,  without  body 
or  parts ;  therefore,  are  you  offended  at  the  idea  of  a  real  existence,  a 
God  who  alone  hath  understanding ;  "  whose  arm  is  not  shortened, 
that  he  cannot  save ;"  "  whose  ear  is  not  heavy  that  he  cannot  hear ;" 
"  whose  eye  searcheth  the  hearts,  and  triest  the  reins  of  the  children 
of  men  ;"  and  who  knoweth  the  secret  intentions  and  desires,  before 
they  are  expressed ;  who  speaks,  and  it  is  done,  who  commands,  and 
it  stands  fast ;  "  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it."  Your 
understanding  being  blinded  by  the  God  of  this  world,  you  verily  sup- 
pose yourself,  while  worshipping  this  God,  without  body  or  parts,  to  be 
addressing  the  God  of  the  Bible — rendering  homage  to  the  God  of 
Heaven.  I  tell  you,  sir,  like  your  predecessors  in  the  days  of  Elijah, 
you  may  call  on  your  God  from  morning  to  evening,  and  from  evening 
to  morning,  and  he  can  never  answer  you.  He  is  eternally  dumb  :  he 
can  neither  see  nor  hear  you;  and,  if  he  could,  he  can  never  utter  his 
voice,  or  stretch  forth  his  hand  to  help  you.  He  is  not  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Israel,  (with  whom  he  talked  face  to  face,  as  a 
man  talketh  with  his  friend,)  und  can  neither  answer  by  fire,  or  in  any 


11 

•otlier  way.     Such  a  God  I  should  despise  and  contemn,  for  his  igno 
ranee  and  impotence. 

It  might  be  worth  while  to  mention  here,  a  fact  which  I  know — 
(not  heard  somehody  say,  that  some  one  eke  understood  it  was  cur- 
rently  reported.)  Professor  Durbin,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
preachers  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  said,  "  We  can  conceive 
of  God  in  no  other  way  than  as  a  substance."*  Then,  according  to  a 
philanthropist,  and  the  Methodist  discipline,  God  hath  so  constituted 
his  creatures  that  they  cannot  conceive  of  his  existence,  and  then  com- 
manded them  to  fall  down  and  worship  him.  To  such  egregious  ab- 
surdities will  men  cling,  rather  than  receive  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it. 
To  all  such  I  would  say,  the  time  is  near  at  hand,  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from  Heaven,  with  his  mighty  angels,  taking 
vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God,  and  obey  not  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Men  may  believe,  it  seems,  in  the  existence 
of  a  God  without  body  or  parts,  but  it  is  absolutely  impossible  that 
they  can  ever  know  him ;  therefore,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  re- 
vealed in  flaming  fire,  it  will  be  to  take  vengeance  on  all  who  worship 
a  God  without  body  or  parts. 

It  is  very  clear,  also,  from  Rev.  xiii.,  that  the  worshippers  of  the 
beast,  which  John  saw,  whose  followers  comprehended  all  whose  names 
are  not  written  in  the  book  of  life,  were  taught  the  Methodist  doctrine. 
*'  And  he  opened  his  mouth  in  blasphemy  against  God,  to  blaspheme 
his  name  and  Ms  lalernaclet  and  them  that  dwell  in  heaven."  I  don't 
know  but  you  go  still  farther  than  the  beast — for  you  positively  deny 
that  God  has  a  tabernacle,  or  body,  at  all. 

In  opposition  then  to  all  who  hold  and  teach  the  traditions  and  doc- 
trines of  men,  we  make  known  to  the  world,  that  the  Most  High,  who 
dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands,  and  who,  though  he  filleth 
all  things,  hath,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  a  place  where  his  bodily 
presence  is  manifested,  and  his  glory  is  the  light  thereof  And  to  put 
the  matter  beyond  all  quebtion,  he  hath  in  a  multitude  of  instances, 
shown  himself  to  the  children  of  men  (chosen  witnesses),  in  different 
ages  of  the  world,  and  especially  in  these  last  days  hath  his  bodily 
presence  been  manifested,  and  his  voice  hath  sounded  in  the  ear  of 
mortal  man,  without  consuming  him.  It  is  perfectly  firivolous  and 
vain  to  deny  the  fact.  Let  any  man  attempt  it  by  whatever  means  he 
chooses,  and  by  the  effort  he  will  strike  at  the  truth  of  the  whole 
Scriptural  narrative.  To  say  that  it  was  the  similitude— figurative^ 
metaphorical^  &c.,  is  nothing  but  an  evasion.  God  is  a  God  of  truth ; 
and  if  he  gave  a  similitude  of  himself,  it  was  a  faithful  representation, 

*  This  is  easily  ascertained  by  every  one  who  can  reason  and  reflect.  The 
moment  we  attempt  to  conceive  of  a  thing,  we  invest  it  with  materiality  ;  and 
we  cannot,  according  to  our  mental  constitution,  conceive  of  immaterial  ejc- 
ifltence.  .    . 


12 

and  not  a  h)'pocritical  display.  If  he  then  represented  himself  with 
a  body  and  parts,  when  he  had  neither,  he  would  be  deceiving  his 
creatures,  and  misleading  thein.  A  figure,  or  a  metaphor,  of  course 
imply  something  of  which  they  are  the  representatives,  and  necessarily 
involve  the  substance.  To  such  pitiful  subterfuges  are  men  driven, 
who  love  a  lie. 

"  A  forgiven  regenerated  Saviour."  The  Mormons  know  no  such 
being.  We  believe  in  a  Saviour  who  taught  by  precept,  and  hath  left 
us  an  example  that  we  should  walk  in  his  steps ;  and  that  all  those 
who  pretend  to  be  his  followers,  and  disregard  the  pattern,  will  find 
that  they  are  neither  "forgiven  nor  regenerated." 

"  Mormon  faith,"  is  the  faith  which  was  once  delivered  to  the  saints, 
and  they  are,  be  it  known,  determined  to  contend  for  it.  You  perhaps 
have  heard  something  about  the  "  analogy  of  faith."  The  Mormons 
are  strenuous  advocates  of  this  mode  of  interpretation  :  they  maintain, 
sir,  that  faith  is  just  as  much  a  principle  of  power  now  as  it  ever  was, 
and  that  it  is  equally  our  privilege  to  attain  to  any  and  all  the  blessings 
that  the  church  of  God  ever  enjoyed — because  we  have  the  true  author- 
ity restored,  which  holds  the  administration  of  spiritual  things,  to  wit, 
the  Milchizidcck  Priesthood,  i^ithout  which  they  never  have  been,  and 
never  can  be  obtained. 

"  Remission  of  sins,  and  spirit."  I  would  simply  remark,  that  it  is 
not  surprising  that  you  object  to  these  principles,  when,  on  the  Metho- 
dist scheme  of  things,  there  is  not  a  single  promise  in  the  Word  of 
God,  by  which  we  could  claim  eitlier.  On  the  Gospel  plan,  the  only 
means  by  which  we  can  obtain  remission  of  sins,  is  through  obedience 
to  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  and  the  gift  of  the  holy  ghost,  through 
the  laying  on  of  hands :  and  if  any  Methodist  ever  obtained  either,  it 
was  a  gratuitous  gift  of  God,  not  because  he  had  promised  it. 

"The  fruit  of  their  religion,  the  Mormons  maintain,  is  dreams, 
visions,  revelations,  prophesying,  speaking  with  tongues,  and  healing 
the  sick."  This  was  undoubtedly  the  effects  of  the  reception  of  the 
holy  ghost,  anciently  ;  but  the  question  is,  will  the  same  fruit  invaria- 
bly result  from  its  possession  ?  We  answer,  it  is  the  uniform  con- 
comitant, and  the  touchstone  by  which  the  church  of  Jesus  Chrigt 
should  be  distinguished  in  all  ages  of  the  world. 

"  These  signs  (says  Jesus)  shall  follow  them  that  believe :  in  my  name 
they  shall  cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ;  they 
shall  take  up  serpents ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not 
hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover." 
Mark,  then,  that  the  promise  has  no  limit  but  the  existence  of  be- 
lievers. 

Again.  "When  he,  the  spirit  of  truth  is  come,  he  will  guide  you 
into  all  truth,  and  teach  you  things  to  come."  Again.  "  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit  upon 


!  all  flesh,  and  your  sons  and  yotu*  daug^hters  shall  prophesy,  and  your 
young  men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams." 
And,  says  Peter,  "Repent  and  be  baptised  for  the  remission  of  your 
sins,  and  you  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  holy  ghost ;  for  the  promise 
is  to  you  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many 
as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  calV  Nothing  can  be  more  evident,  then, 
tliat  the  holy  ghost  was  to  be  uniform  in  its  action.  If  it  were  not  so, 
by  what  means  could  its  possession  be  ascertained,  and  it  distinguished 
from  the  many  false  spirits  which  are  gone  abroad  in  the  world  :  cer- 
tainly if  it  was  one  thing  to-day,  and  another  thing  to-morrow,  and  still 
another  some  time  hence,  it  might  continue  to  change,  ad  infinitum. 
But  the  truth  is,  the  spirit  of  God  to-day,  will  speak  the  same  things, 
will  mind  the  same  things,  will  produce  the  same  fruit,  the  spirit  of 
God  did  eighteen  hundred  years  ago ;  and  this  is  the  test  by  which  it 
shall  be  tried.  See  the  xii.  chap.  1  Corin.,  and  you  will  find  pour- 
trayed  the  manifestations  of  the  spirit  of  God  in  the  church,  and  the 
purpose  for  which  they  were  placed  there,  that  it  should  be  preserved 
from  schism.  This  corresponds  exactly  with  the  promise  of  the  Sa!- 
viour  :  it  shall  guide  you  into  all  truth  — it  shall  take  of  the  things  of 
mine  and  show  them  unto  you.  It  is  perfectly  useless  for  you,  or  any 
man,  to  say  that  these  things  were  confined  to  the  Apostolic  age,  and 
are  not  to  be  obtained  now.  By  the  same  authority  which  you  assume 
to  take  away  the  smallest  part  of  the  Gospel,  I  may  take  away  the  re- 
mainder, so  that  nothing  will  be  left. 

If  the  New  Testament  order  is  a  perfect  system  of  things,  in  other 
words,  if  it  be  the  Kingdom  of  God  organized  on  the  earth,  what  a 
fearful  responsibility  does  that  man  incur,  who  shall,  without  any  au- 
thority fi-om  God,  dare  to  assert  that  part  is  done  away  ;  has  he  not 
directly  dethroned  the  Almighty ;  and  if  a  part  of  the  New  Testament 
order  has  ceased,  and  Goc  has  given  us  no  intimation  of  the  thing,  the 
New  Testament  is  good  for  nothing  to  us,  because  we  have  no  means 
of  determining  which  part  belongs  to  us,  and  which  does  not  Let  no 
one  dream  that  Jehovah  hath  done  his  work  so  carelessly. 

The  Mormons,  you  say,  profess  to  heal  the  sick,  which  they  cannot 
do ;  and  boast  of  their  possession  of  miraculous  powers.  We  profess 
to  carry  out  our  principles  and  doctrines  into  our  practice,  therefore, 
when  any  are  sick,  it  is  the  doctrine  of  James,  "  let  them  send  for  the 
Elders  of  the  church,  and  let  them  lay  their  hands  on  them,  anointing 
with  oil  m  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the 
sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up."  We  know  there  is  virtue  in 
this  promise,  and  by  tbo  grace  of  God  we  shall  continue  to  practice 
upon  it,  and  though  we  make  no  boast  of,  or  pretend  to  the  possession 
of  miraculous  power,  we  will  never  be  found  among  those  who  deny 
the  power  of  godliness ;  but  confess,  that  "  all  things  are  possible  to 
him  that  believeth,"  and  that  man  who  would  strike  out  of  existence, 
one  promise  of  him  whose  promises  are  all  yea  and  amen,  in  Christ 
Jesus,  no  matter  what  his  pretensions  may  be,  he  may  even  profeM 
-^  —  2 


14 

sanctification,  as  some  have  who  deny  that  the  promise  made  through 
James  is  any  longer  valid ;  the  man  who  does  that,  if  there  be  any 
sanctity  in  the  matter,  is  a  sanctified  infidel. 

You  next  labour  to  show,  that  the  genuineness  of  faith,  is  evidenced 
by  works;  very  good,  but  they  must  bo  the  very  works  which  the 
commands  of  God  require,  or  they  will  not  indicate  faith. 

You  say,  that  the  signs  promised  to,  and  accompanying  believers, 
are  not  indubitable  marks  of  genuine  faith,  "  for  many  have  produced 
them  who  were,  and  continued  to  be  bad  men." 

This  assertion  without  any  attempt  at  proof,  seems  to  imply  a  secret 
suspicion,  that  it  is  incapable  of  any.  How  in  the  name  of  common 
sense,  could  they  be  signs  of  faith,  if  they  were  not  the  peculiar  pro- 
perty of  the  believer  ? 

By  your  return  to  the  37th  Chap,  of  Ezekiel,  you  manifest  a  lurk- 
ing conviction,  that  it  is  impregnable  to  all  the  assaults  of  spiritualizers, 
alias  unbelievers. 

Because  those  saints  who  are  alive,  and  remain  at  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  will  not  be  so  far  changed,  as  that  the  relation  of  husband  and 
wife,  parent  and  children,  will  be  annihilated,  therefore,  you  would  fain 
create  the  impression  that  we  teach  procreation  in  the  resurrected 
saints  ;  and  you  plainly  charge  upon  us  a  little  further  on,  the  teaching 
of  a  carnal  Paradise,  unrestrained  sensual  indulgence,  and  promiscuous 
intercour-e  between  the  sexes ;  for  which  I  charge  you  with  being  a 
base,  unblushing  liar,  and  that  you  have  sold  yourself  to  the  enemy  of 
all  righteousness  to  do  his  work,  and  unless  you  repent  and  be  bap- 
tized for  the  remission  of  your  sins,  you  will  have  your  portion  with 
hypocrites  and  unbelievers. 

"  The  Mormons  tell  us,  that  there  are  two  New  Jerusalcms  to  be 
built,  one  in  this  country,  and  one  in  Palestine."  This  is  another 
lie.  The  Mormons  say,  that  this  continent  is  the  place  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  called  also  Mount  Zion,  and  that  old  Jerusalem  is  to  be 
rebuilt ;  and  that  in  these  two  places  will  be  deliverance,  when  the 
earth  shall  burn  as  an  oven,  and  all  the  proud,  and  they  that  do  wick- 
edly shall  be  as  stubble ;  this,  you  say,  is  very  romantic,  you  would 
have  thought  the  same  of  Noah's  undertaking,  I  presume;  remember 
as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  it  be  at  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  man.     The  scorner  shall  be  equally  consumed. 

You  object  to  God's  building  the  New  Jerusalem  now,  because  the 
Hebrews  came  to  it,  in  vision  and  revelation,  hundreds  of  years  ago  ; 
you  ought  to  be  consistent  to  object  to  the  Saviour's  coming  to  judge 
the  world,  for  it  appears  that  formed  a  part  of  the  scenery,  in  the  grand 
drama  to  which  Paul  reminds  the  Hebrews  they  had  come  ;  and  the 
general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first  born,  whose  names  are  writ- 
ten in  Heaven  ;  and  the  "  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,"  it  is  alto- 
gether probable,  that  many  of  the  individuals  who  composed  a  part  of 
this  glorious  pageant,  are  yet  unborn. 

You  say,  because  God  is  the  builder  of  it,  he  cannot  make  use  of  the 
Mormons  as  his  instruments. 


15 

And  finally,  because  it  is  to  come  down  out  of  heaven  on  the  new 
earth,  it  never  can  be  built  on  this  earth.  This  is  what  your  objections 
to  the  buildijig  of  Zion  on  this  continent  amount  to ;  they  need  no  refu- 
tation. 

You  say  the  final  resurrection  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  will 
be  in  the  same  hour,  and  triumphantly  assert,  that  all  the  Mormon 
hope  falls  to  the  ground  ;  by  this  you  indubitably  exhibit,  that  you  can 
have  no  part  in  the  first  resurrection,  and  that  you  prefer  darkness  to 
light.  In  proof  of  your  assertion,  you  quote  John  v.  28  «fe  29,  Jesus 
says,  "  the  hour  is  coming  when  all  that  are  in  their  graves  shall  come 
forth,  they  that  have  done  good  to  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  they 
that  have  done  evil,  to  the  resurrection  of  damnation."  This  does  not 
affirm  that  both  will  be  at  one  and  the  same  time,  John  vi.  39  &  40. 
speaks  only  of  the  saint's  resurrection. 

John  xi.  24,  speaks  of  the  same  thing. 

Paul  says,  every  man  in  his  own  order,  Christ  the  first  fruits,  after- 
ward they  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming. 

It  is  expressly  told  us,  "  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first." 

To  show  conclusively  that  your  position  is  opposed  to  the  oracles  of 
God,  1  refer  you  to  the  revelation  of  John,  20  chap.  4  and  5  verses, 
where  we  are  explicitly  told,  "  that  the  saints  lived  and  reigned  with 
Christ  a  thousand  years,  but  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until 
the  thousand  years  were  ended.  This  is  the  first  resurrection  ;"  after 
the  expiration  of  which,  Satan  is  loosed  for  a  little  season,  and  then 
sent  to  his  own  place,  when  all  this  is  accomplished  ;  John  describes  the 
general  judgment,  and  death  and  hell  deliverd  up  the  dead  which  were 
in  them,  and  they  were  judged  every  man  according  to  his  works. 

We  do  not  pretend  to  tell  the  day,  the  month,  or  the  year,  when  any  of 
these  events  shall  take  place,  but  this  much  we  do  know,  that  the  gene- 
ration, in  which  the  signs  make  their  appearance,  spoken  of  by  Jesus, 
shall  not  all  pass  away,  before  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  revealed  in  the 
clouds  of  Heaven,  with  power  and  great  glory  ;  to  the  deliverance  of 
his  people,  and  the  destruction  of  Ijis  enemies.  As  it  was  when  he 
came  the  first  time,  the  people  were  expecting  him,  so  now,  the  profess- 
ing  christian  world  generally  acknowledge  the  time  is  very  nigh  for  the 
commencement  of  that  important  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
called  the  milleniuni ;  yet  they  have  spiritually  interpreted  the  decla- 
rations of  the  Prophets,  till  there  is  no  possible  way  of  determining 
any  thing  they  foretell,  therefore  they  say  the  Son  of  man  is  coming 
spiritually. 

Although  the  messengers  of  the  Most  High  come  proclaiming  the 
near  approach  of  the  Son  of  God,  declaring  the  doctrine  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  crying,  repent  and  be  baptised  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and 
the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  is  for  all 
who  submit  to  the  conditions  which  God  has  imposed  ;  men  will  not 
receive  the  message,  they  have  no  desire  for  truth,  but  love  the  tradi- 
tions and  commandments  of  men  better  than  they  do  the  command- 
ments of  the  Lord.     They  are  satisfied  with  a  form  of  godliness,  and 


16 

have  no  desire  for  the  power ;  denying  that  it  is  now  attainable.  In 
the  midst  of  this  universal  apostacy  of  the  human  family,  God  has  set 
his  hand  to  do  his  work, — his  strange  work ;  and  p. ^r form  his  act, — 
his  strange  act;  and  while  men  are  vainly  looking  for  ^oraething,  they 
know  not  what,  Almighty  God  has  established  the  kingdom  spoken  of 
by  Daniel,  which  shall  ultimately  prevail  over  all  others ;.  ^d  is  raising 
up  a  people  who  will  contend  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  promises,  and 
who  know,  assuredly,  God  is  not  slack  concerning  his  promises,  as 
men  count  slackness;  and  that  he  will  withhold  no  gcod  thing  from 
them  that  walk  uprightly.  Men  may  sneer,  and  cavil,  and  contemn, 
but  God  is  at  work  now,  and  he  will  finish  the  work,  and  cut  it  short 
in  righteousness. 

The  last  allegation  I  shall  notice  is  the  wicked  and  malicious  insinu- 
ation contained  in  your  preface ;  that  the  Mormons  hold  and  inculcate 
insubordination  to  the  civil  magistrate,  and  are  sowers  of  sedition. 
As  you  acknowledge  the  charge  is  founded  on  public  rumor,  it  would 
not  have  merited  a  notice  if  it  were  not  that  it  afforded  an  opportunity 
to  give  it  the  most  unqualified  denial. 

I  cannot  forbear  to  remark  what  a  striking  parallel  in  this  and  most 
other  points,  the  charges  brought  by  this  generation  against  the  saints 
of  God,  bear  to  those  brought  by  the  ancient  Pharisees  and  sectarians 
against  the  primitive  saints,  what  a  pestilent  and  seditious  fellow  that 
Paul  was  ;  the  filth  and  ofFscouring  of  all  things,  were  they  accounted, 
and  it  was  esteemed  praiseworthy  to  persecute,  traduce,  belie,  torture, 
and  destroy  them.  This  is  the  refining  pot  in  which  the  saints  are 
purified  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  God  has  expressly  told  us,  if  ye 
endure  it  not,  then  are  ye  bastards,  and  not  sons.  In  conclusion,  I 
would  say  to  all  who  are  sincerely  seeking  for  truth,  there  is  one  way 
by  which  you  shall  certainly  know  between  a  prophet  of  God,  and  a 
prophet  of  Baal ;  between  a  messenger  of  the  living  and  true  God, 
and  a  priest  of  the  prince  of  darkness.  It  is  this,  the  man  of  God  will 
tell  you,  that  the  God  whom  he  serves  is  the  hearer  and  answerer  of 
the  prayer  of  faith,  and  he  will  send  you  to  him  to  ascertain  the  truth 
of  the  message  which  he  brings  ;  he  will  tell  you  that  God  is  faithful- 
ness, and  truth,  therefore  "they  that  will  do  his  will  shall  know  of  the 
doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  it  be  of  men;"  he  will  tell 
you  to  build  on  the  rock  of  revelation,  on  which  Jesus  says,  he  would 
build  his  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  should  never  prevail  against  it. 
The  false  teacher,  on  the  other  hand,  will  tell  you,  these  promises  are, 
not  for  you,  revelation  has  ceased,  the  power  ol  godliness  was  confined 
to  some  other  age  and  people,  and  it  is  no  longer  your  privilege  to  con- 
verse with  angels;  to  haveJLhe  visions  of  heaven  unfolded,  to  receive 
the  same  Holy  Ghost  the  jpfients  received,  and  that  he  will  not  bring 
the  same  blessings  if  you^o ;  and  that  you  can  never,  in  your  mortal, 
or  any  other  state,  see  God.  He  may  teach  you  a  form  of  godliness, 
but  it  will  not  be  the  form  which  the  Saviour  and  his  apostles  taught, 
and  he  will  certainly  deny  the  power. 


~1^ 


